1 intro to soc.docx

SOC #1 [Type text] Wednesday September 12, 2012
Sociology: systematic study of human groups and their interactions
Sociological perspective: unique way which sociologists see our world and can dissect the dynamic
relationships between individuals and the larger social network we live in
Charles Wright Mills
The sociological imagination
- sociologists have their own perspective of situations
- developing an appreciation of how individual challenges are influenced by larger social forces
Personal troubles
- result from individual struggles that change/shape us
Social issues
- caused by larger social factors
The ‘trick’ is to understand how personal troubles may be due to larger social issues
Quality of mind
- one’s ability to look beyond personal circumstances and into social context
Peter Berger
Seeing the general in the particular is the ability to look at seemingly unique events (particular) and then
recognizing the larger (general) features involved
Ex. Homeless person
Normal person: I feel pity.
Sociologist: Why is he there? Mental hospital funding cut back, factories closed down
Think about what is familiar and see it as strange
What makes you, you?
Agency refers to the idea that each of us has, to some extent, the ability to alter our socially constructed
lives.
Structure is the network of relatively stable opportunities and constraints influencing our individual
behaviors. Frames what behaviors are acceptable due to structure of society.
Engaging your Sociological Imagination
Our perception of ourselves and others are the products of many factors:
1. Minority Status
2. Gender – frames possibilities/opportunities
3. Socioeconomic status (working, middle class)
4. Family Structure
5. Urban-Rural Differences
Quantitative vs Qualitative Sociology
Quantitative Sociology
- work with numbers
- measurable behavior
- positivist in nature: if you develop an understanding of a problem in society you have the ability
to understand variables that there will be an actual truth, we just have to discover the truth
- study huge problems in society ex. Crime rates overtime
- surveys
Qualitative Sociology
- a